


Escaping The Grasp

by Benfrosh



Series: A Dragon Among Heroes [3]
Category: Fire Emblem Heroes
Genre: Gen, aversa rules so much that i had to write a fic for her to integrate her into the team, it's like confronting your abusive ex again except somehow a billion times worse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-26
Updated: 2018-10-26
Packaged: 2019-08-07 18:49:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,160
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16413884
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Benfrosh/pseuds/Benfrosh
Summary: Aversa has come face to face with her past, in the form of a dragon possessing a tactician.





	Escaping The Grasp

Aversa could hardly believe her good fortune upon being summoned to Castle Askr. The people here - they had no memory of her sins, for they were the people of an entirely different world, or rather, worlds. The few that came from the same world as her own were those that had already accepted her into their own ranks, and she was far from the only villain that had come here. As the summoner had taken her around the castle, she had met others like her, tricked into committing horrible crimes, their ideals played with - Arvis, Zephiel, even poor Walhart, though the confrontation with Walhart might have been a _tad_ tense at times. She felt that here, in this strange new world, she might truly get the second chance she had been hoping and wishing for.

And then she saw Grima.

Obviously, she didn't obviously look like Grima from a distance. Possessing the body of her adopted sister, there was nothing visually indicating that this woman was actually the Fell Dragon Grima in human form. Aversa's time with the Grimleal had taught her many, many things, however, and one of those things was the aura of power that Grima's mere presence projected. Awe-inspiring, crushing, intimidating, and above all _powerful_.

Aversa thought she had finally shaken herself of the feelings of Grima's insidious presence that had clamped an iron grip upon her soul for years upon years. She saw a sword stabbed straight through Grima's heart and had pinned her hopes on its blinding flash. And here was the inevitable horror that came back to her once more.

Aversa ducked back around the corner into the hallway, barely suppressing a panic attack, as the summoner turned to look at her with concern and Grima continued to eat the ham sandwich she had prepared.

* * *

A week later, Aversa had finished settling in to her new life. She had been appointed the head of a small new squad, given quarters that had far surpassed her old ones in Plegia (though apparently this was true of nearly every room for the heroes in this castle). She had even started to make a few friends here and there - maybe not deep friends, but people she could chat with. That was already more than she had expected. 

Skulking around at the edge of her mind, however, was Grima's presence. The dragon seemed to be the summoner's pet combatant, always leading the charge in battle and carrying the flag in war. If that wasn't enough, Aversa had gotten what should make her happy but had left her staring at the ceiling of her room for the last two hours. She was to become the new second-in-command for the army in the larger battles, where the summoner could not sufficiently handle everything on the battle. The second-in-command, directly attached to Grima's unit. 

Aversa sighed, the first noise she had made since reading the letter. Grima had controlled her heart and soul for so many years, and she had finally gotten the taste of freedom, true freedom. It tasted sweeter than any spoils of war that she had earned with the Grimleal, and she wasn't going to let Grima ruin it all over again. She gathered herself, put on her nightrobe, and set out down the hallway to Grima's quarters. (She had learned where they were several days ago, to avoid them as much as possible.)

Coming to the door, her slippers thankfully muffling the sounds of her footsteps echoing down the halls, Aversa hesitated for a moment. She had never confronted Grima alone before. It was either kowtowing alongside Validar or standing defiantly with Chrom and the others. Here, she was on her own. That was not going to scare her, however. She reached out and knocked on the door.

"Come in," came Grima's voice from within. Aversa realized that it was nearly midnight, and she didn't plan for Grima sleeping. Thankfully that appeared not to be the case. With a deep breath, she pushed the door open and entered.

Inside, Grima was... reading. Wearing spectacles and reading a book casually, sitting in a chaise lounge next to the fireplace. Aversa had expected more blood sacrifice, frankly. Finishing a page in her book, Grima put a bookmark inside, closed it gently, and turned to face Aversa for the first time. "Hello?" she asked.

"Hello, Grima," Aversa said, her voice finding strength where she couldn't. "I've come to tell you this. Whatever power you once held over me is gone," she half-shouted, gesturing emphatically. "No more will I bend to your desires as you please. I am my own woman now, and nothing you can do will ever change that." She stared into Grima's eyes, daring the dragon to attempt anything.

Grima lowered her glasses and stared back, eyes roving over Aversa. "Well, I highly doubt that, but..." She paused, putting her glasses back on. "Who are you, again?"

"... Aversa," she replied, confused.

"Aversa... Aversa..." Grima mused, scratching her chin. "Give me a hint. Were you with me or against me?"

Aversa drew herself together once more. "I may have once served you, but-"

Grima waved her off, interrupting. "Traitor, got it. Okay, so... were you the one with the gold crown? Laughed a lot?"

Aversa almost didn't reply. Did Grima... really not know her? "N-no. That was Gangrel. I was his servant. I raised the Deadlords in your name. I organized... so much death for you."

Grima hummed. "I'll have to trust you for that. Well, thank you for your service, at any rate. A shame to see you go, but it seems you've made your decision." With that dismissal, she returned to her book, picking up where she left off.

Aversa felt her body sag in defeat, despite getting what she came for. "That's it? You really don't remember me at all? You're just... letting me go?"

"Yes. Now begone. This book is finally getting interesting."

Aversa felt rage boiling within her, threatening to explode. "I was your most loyal- your most effective- if it weren't for me you'd still be-"

"Dead?" Grima let out a small laugh. "Maybe for a generation or two longer. If it wasn't you, it'd be the next insect. I operated on a far grander timescale than any one human mattered."

"I helped _kill_ you!"

Grima shrugged. "And a mosquito can kill you, but can you pick them out of a lineup?"

Aversa opened her mouth wordlessly, before storming out and slamming the door shut behind her. She collapsed to the ground as she did, curled up in a ball, unsure whether to cry or scream. She had gotten the clean slate she wanted. Nothing she ever did had mattered one iota.

* * *

Unbeknownst to Aversa, Grima sighed as the door slammed. "Tiki is going to be mad at me again, isn't she," the dragon muttered to herself. "You'd think for having ruined so many lives, more of them would be dead by now."


End file.
